Summer and ledge fishing

Summer Fishing

Summer fishing like any other season can be divided into 3 sections. Post Spawn to Summer transition which is the end of the migration from spawning areas and time for moving to those summer haunts that they will take up residence in until Fall. The Summer season that is marked by a mass migration of fish to deep water ledges, points, and humps. Not to say there aren't shallow fish this time of year which will be discussed. Summer to Early Fall transition is the third as bass begin to move from Summer haunts to their Fall areas following bait. I will discuss this three periods in the midsouth as well as the exceptions in this article and the attached web pages breaking these items down further.

First for the Post Spawn to Summer transition, this is a pretty predictable season that should be easy to follow and catch fish, but is hard for anglers because the memory of those shallow spring days tend to pull us back to those areas. The fish are following migration routes to deeper water now that they have completed spawning and have rested up a bit. They are beginning to hit the first breaks off the flats and points where creeks meet to lead them back to deeper water. Intersections of points and creeks are great places to start. Also, where flats break off into deeper water or where creeks first dump out of a flat into deeper water are great holding spots at this time of year. Somewhere else I look for are those crappie mats out in about 8-10ft of water where they can rest and feed til they make that move to their summer resting areas. If your lake has deeper cover such as timber or grass that occurs along the transitional creek bends those can really be sweet spots! Gravel banks and pea gravel points this time of year can be hot spots especially when closer to deep water or channels. Chunk rock banks on points and next to channels are also attractive to bass resting up and feeding to get ready to move out to the ledges. Shakey Heads, Carolina rigs, Crankbaits, and swimbaits are good choices.

Summer is the next period to discuss. At this time most of the bass have moved to their deeper haunts where they will spend the summer in deeper cooler water. Now they have moved to deeper ledges formed by river and creek channels; as well as, points that move into deeper water with adequate cover and food to keep them there. This is another pretty predictable time of year, but requires a little patience and homework. Electronics are really needed to find these hotspots and then you need to spend the time to find the sweetspot on the hump or ledge you are fishing. These deepwater spots are not like going down a bank in the spring. 400-500 yd ledges may have a 10 ft spot that 90% of the fish are sitting on. There will be some type of cover that hold these fish right there (mussels, rock, wood, or bottom makeup). Take your time and watch your electronics and when you catch a fish, bear down on that area and figure out the sweet spot and how to fish it.

Riding around watching your electronics is the key to this type of fishing. You need to find the fish and where they are holding on the ledge and work from there. Lakes like Ky Lake and Pickwick have miles and miles of ledges that can be frustrating if your are not fishing the right areas. Most ledge anglers are riding the ledges looking for schools for hours before actually fishing them. There are lots of options for fishing ledges and current and weather effect the best ways to fish them and to get the schools fired up and ready to bite. Crankbaits, swimbaits, and football jigs for the go to baits for most ledge fisherman and they may switch between colors and actions on each until they find what the fish are wanting. Some other great ledge baits are big worms in the 10-16" range, big flutter style spoons, hair jigs, and carolina rigs down to finesse stuff like drop shot rigs and heavy shakey heads. Sometimes you can dial it in and just need a few things on the boat but there are times you need the kitchen sink to get a school fired up but once you get the first one to eat that will get the rest of them going due to their competitive nature. When you hit the right school this can be constant quick action for a period of time and can be some of the best fishing of the year.

Here are some bait choices and considerations of when to fish.

Football Jigs/ Big Worms/ Carolina Rigs/ Big Shakey Heads - When fish are set up on the bottom and not moving around much these are great choices to find that sweet spot and pinpoint where the fish are sitting. Draggin a slow moving bait or stroking it around schools of stationary fish can fire the fish up when there is not much current or they just don't want to chase a bait around much.

Crankbaits/ Swimbaits/ Flutter Spoons/ Hair jigs - When there is good current flow and fish are willing to chase baits these are great options that allow you to cover a bunch of water and make multiple presentations to fish. These are great for locating fish and finding active schools as well then once you have them located you can slow down and work them hard with slower baits if they shut down. Make sure to retrieve these with the current to give a more natural look and feel to the bait but don't discount directional changes since sometimes the current underwater may vary from the directionality you would think it would have.

Drop Shot Rigs - When it gets really tough this can be what is needed to fire up a school and get them started. The finesse approach is sometimes needed to get them activated since they sometimes see so many big baits and can get a little gun shy. Especially in post cold frontal conditions and high skys or when they are highly pressured.

Summer to Early Fall transition is the period we need to discuss. This period is the same as post spawn to summer transition except reversed as the fish are going shallower following the bait as they prepare for Fall. This can be a very tough time to fish as the fish will be the most spread out of anytime of year. They can be caught on ledges all the way to shallow water following schools of shad. The best advice I can give you for this time of year is look for Shad and follow the bait. The fish are not far behind. You will find fish all over this time of year so just follow your strengths, fish fast, and find some active fish to target. In June or early summer when waters first start getting really hot the oxygen content is better out deeper and fish will move out there but once water temps begin to normalize throughout the lakes water that oxygen content begins to change and is normalized throughout the water column. Fish will begin to spread out at this point and look for cooler water and better oxygenated areas.

Now, there are exceptions to everything I said above. In lakes, there are a couple of things that can be targeted this time of year that will keep some fish shallow. Grass being the first one. Bass love to stay in grass during the summer because of the shade, oxygen, and bait that it provides. It comes in many forms from pads to milfoil. You just have to search though it and find where they are and what they want to react to. Also, another thing that will keep fish shallow is some form of current. A constant flowing creek or spring that provides cooler, oxygenated water can be a great summer target, also, runoff from rain can pull fish shallow this time of year. On the note of current, summer is my favorite time to target rivers and thier backwaters. Rivers and the current they provide can give you some great summer fishing. Bass will not necessarily get in the current, but the breaks where bait gets washed by them, and they are in just the position to feed.

One other consideration is panfish like bream and insects will spawn or bed during full moon situations all summer and this can bring bass back into the shallows for a prime feeding opportunity. Be it Mayflys or Bluegill bass will not typically turn up opportunities for high calorie meals. This can provide you with some great midsummer topwater action as well as a decreased amount of fishing pressure since most anglers will be chasing fish on the ledges and will not be concentrating on these shallower fish. Boat docks and other cover providing cover and shade will attract bluegills and they bed in the same type of areas bass will spawn in though usually a little deeper water.

Night fishing is the next summer thing to talk about. With the cooler water temps at night and the lower amount of fishing pressure along with an increased sense of security bass will move shallower at night and feed especially during full moon periods when they have additional light to work with. The bass that stay shallow during the summer are the most likely to really take advantage of these cooler periods of time without the sun beating down on them. This can be a fun time to fish during the summer and provide a great break from the doldrums of fishing in the heat and sun. Topwaters, spinnerbaits and dark colored plastics are go to baits for this type of fishing and can provide some exciting fights with big bass.

Hope some of this helps!! Good luck!!

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